Ecorys is a leading international research and consultancy company, addressing society's key challenges. With world-class research-based consultancy, we help public and private clients make and implement informed decisions leading to positive impact on society. We support our clients with sound analysis and inspiring ideas, practical solutions and delivery of projects for complex market, policy and management issues.

The Quality of Government (QoG) Institute was founded in 2004 by Professor Bo Rothstein and Professor Sören Holmberg. It is an independent research institute within the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg. The institute has about 30 researchers who conduct and promote research on the causes, consequences and nature of Good Governance and the Quality of Government (QoG) - that is, trustworthy, reliable, impartial, uncorrupted and competent government institutions.

The Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN) (hereafter - ICRNetwork), was established in 2015 and is an interdisciplinary group of junior scholars (PhD and Post-Doc level) with close links to the major academic centres of Europe. The goal of the network is to build an academic community committed to carrying out excellent interdisciplinary research on corruption in order to facilitate intellectual exchange, collaboration, research initiation, and research dissemination. 

Meet some of our LRCC members

About the Network

On 3 May 2023, the European Commission presented an anti-corruption package including a Commission proposal for a directive to combat corruption by means of criminal law and a Joint Communication on Corruption adopted by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy. The Communication outlines current and future anti-corruption actions at the EU and Member State levels. As a direct consequence of the Communication, the EU Network against corruption was established to enhance collaboration, identify trends, and create effective anti-corruption policies. 

The EU Network serves as a platform for all relevant stakeholders in the EU, including Member State practitioners, experts, researchers, representatives of civil society, and international organisations to exchange good practices and ideas. The network is built upon existing groups. Since 2015, an EU anti-corruption experience-sharing programme has provided a forum for anti-corruption practitioners from Member States to get inspired and learn from legislative, institutional, and policy reforms in other Member States. In addition, independent local experts, the Local Research Correspondents on Corruption (LRCC), met with the Commission in the framework of the support they provide in the Rule of Law report process. The first plenary meeting was held on 20 September 2023 in Brussels, where key figures emphasised the network’s role in fostering effective policies and discussed the 2023 Rule of Law Report’s insights. In autumn 2024 the second plenary meeting will take place.

The Commission also organises national workshops following the Rule of Law report to enhance stakeholder engagement in anti-corruption discussions under the framework of the EU network against corruption. In addition, the Commission also organises smaller meetings with practitioners from national authorities in the Member States and a yearly meeting with independent local experts from civil society and academia who support the Commission in the context of the Rule of Law report.